Australia trials first recyclable takeaway coffee cup

Australians consume 50,000 takeaway coffees every 30 minutes, and despite popular belief, these paper cups cannot be recycled.

“There’s still a misconception that paper coffee cups can be recycled, when they are actually lined with a plastic membrane of polyethylene (PE) to make them waterproof. This lining proves expensive and difficult for recyclers to separate from paperboard,” explained Detpak’s general manager for marketing and innovation, Tom Lunn.

Detpak has partnered with Smart Planet Technologies to create the RecycleMe cup that is available in 8 and 12 oz sizes and can be easily recycled using the existing paper and cardboard recycling stream.

While about one billion paper cups end up in Australian landfill sites, only one 1% of plant-based lined cups go to commercial composting. Commencing 14 August, these new cups will be trialled for one week in cafes across Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney in an attempt to reduce the high numbers of cups filling landfill sites.

At each location, customers will be able to dispose of their cups using the dedicated blue bins. The cups will then be taken to a paper recycling facility for processing into material that can be turned into new paper and cardboard products.

Instead of the traditional plastic lining, the RecycleMe cups are made with a mineral-based lining that can be easily removed during the recycling process. As a result, up to 96% of the cup can be recycled into new products, and this recycling process can take place up to seven times.

Lunn outlines further benefits of using these cups, stating that recycling facilities will not have to change their equipment in order to recycle these cups, which ultimately benefits the consumer.

“There is no capital investment required from the paper recycling plant and the RecycleMe cup minimises cost implications for businesses in handling paper cups, providing commercial returns for the paper recyclers that they don’t get from the current PE-lined cups,” he said.

“Previous trials of dedicated coffee cup recycling bins in Australia last year show there is an appetite to make a difference for the environment and address the war on waste, as paper cups continue to have a huge impact on the volume of landfill globally.”

Detpak is working with Veolia to devise a long-term solution that will allow paper cups to be recycled through common paper and board recycling processes. Should these trials be successful, it could see the introduction of paper cups into the commercial market in the next six months.